Blog
  • Posted November 11, 2016

For Every Woman Raped in Every War

Today is Remembrance Day, a day set aside to remember the sacrifice of our armed forces who went to battle and those who died. The original slogan associated with Remembrance Day was, “Never Again,” which also requires us to remember the atrocities of war and to commit ourselves to working for peace. After all, “those […]
  • Posted November 4, 2016

Dear Men: I am Terrified of You (But You Can Change That)

Post by Rebecca Tucker, Relief/HOC Staff (CW: sexual assault, sexual harassment) When I was in elementary school, I learned that when a boy pushed me in line, or pulled my hair so hard my neck snapped back, it just meant that he liked me. When I was twelve, a male teacher commented on my “booty” […]
  • Posted October 13, 2016

I’m angry and tired of rape culture on campus

Post by WAVAW Volunteer, Baylee This will be my fourth year attending the University of British Columbia. My fourth year of being told to walk in groups, to lock my dormitory windows and doors, to be home before dark. My fourth year of what should have been uninterrupted learning, personal growth, and memory making. Instead, […]
  • Posted September 30, 2016

If the System Is Broken, Don’t Fix It? Judge Camp and the Status Quo

Post by Natti Schmid, WAVAW Office Manager Perpetrators must be held accountable for the violence they commit against women.  WAVAW Rape Crisis Centre was awarded intervener status to speak to the impacts that Judge Camp’s words and actions in the court room had on the public’s perception of the efficacy of the legal system.  WAVAW and […]
  • Posted September 14, 2016

Judge Camp and The Beast of Rape Culture

Post by Adrienne Moya, Victim Services Medical Support Worker We tell women not to take on more responsibility or burden than they need to when navigating the criminal justice system. We tell them to focus on their wellbeing, and communicate their needs, safety concerns, and the impacts they are experiencing to us and the different players […]
  • Posted August 31, 2016

10 Things That Take Longer than Brock Turner’s Prison Sentence

Brock Turner, Stanford’s star rapist (who can also swim), will be released from prison on September 2. On that day, he will have spent only three months in prison, half of his already miniscule proposed six-month sentence. So what else can you accomplish in three months? Well… 1. You can get a tattoo removed. 2. You can bike […]
  • Posted August 25, 2016

Layers of Patriarchal Garbage

We recently learned that a French woman wearing a burqa made of bathing suit material (clever!) at the beach was forced to remove it by armed police.  This is in keeping with recent bans on the full body bathing suit for several incredibly racist reasons that somehow do not apply to any other religions. Not […]
  • Posted June 24, 2016

a double-edged survival

Guest Post by a WAVAW Volunteer   I carry with me a double-edged knife. I carry this knife close to me, in a hidden pocket. I keep my wallet there, reaching often. Outside I carry this knife close to me, brushing against soft, uneasy shoulders.   “Do I deserve friends?”  This knife I carry with […]
  • Posted June 23, 2016

Pleasure & Sexuality in a Rape Culture

WAVAW collaborated with illustrator, Jane Komori, to create this comic about how we can all think about pleasure and sexuality in the context of a rape culture. It was originally shared by WAVAW Staff, Dalya Israel and Jordan Pickell, as a zine in our workshop at the 2016 Guelph Sexuality Conference.